Three Minutes to Save the World
by mountainrivergirl
Summary: Rittenhouse decides to target a young Garcia Flynn in Croatia, so the Time Team has to go save him and his family. But the mission has an unexpected side effect.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own Timeless._

* * *

Lucy smiled tenderly as she walked into Flynn's room to see him still asleep with his mouth lolling open. She set down the plate and mug on the bedside table before leaning in to stroke her fingers through his messy hair. He woke with a start, but as soon as he spotted her, a sleepy grin split his face.

"Good morning, sunshine," she teased, slipping her hand to rest against his cheek as she sat in the chair next to the bed. Flynn turned his head to kiss the inside of her wrist and Lucy hummed in contentment. It had only been about two months that they had been…could you call it dating if you couldn't even go anywhere? But whatever it was that they were, it was the reason Lucy's heart was lighter than it had been since her pre-time travel days. It made their compound in the middle of nowhere feel like home. Or maybe it was Flynn who felt like home.

"I brought you some eggs and coffee," she gestured to the plate and mug. He sat up to lean against the headboard and Lucy bit her lip as she noticed he was shirtless.

"You didn't make these, did you?"

Lucy scowled, annoyed. "No, Wyatt did."

Flynn looked at the eggs skeptically. "You are not making me feel better about eating this…"

She rolled her eyes. "I took them from the pan, he made enough for everyone, and Jiya, Rufus and I are fine."

He pursed his lips and started to eat. "Plus, if Wyatt were going to kill you, he wouldn't use poison. He'd want to do it with his hands."

Flynn choked a little as he laughed. "You have a point there," he croaked out before sipping his coffee.

Lucy let her eyes drift over him as he ate.

"My eyes are up here you know," he smirked.

She raised her eyes to meet his in challenge. "I know," she said cheekily before letting her gaze drop again to roam across his arms and chest. He set his mug and plate down and his arms were suddenly around her waist, pulling her off the chair and onto his lap. Flynn kissed her neck. She could feel him smile against her skin as he rubbed a hand up and down her thigh.

"If you keep looking at me like that, I'm not going to be held responsible for my actions. You'll have to explain to Wyatt and Rufus why you're an hour late for target practice."

Lucy smirked back at him, "Only an hour?"

Flynn laughed at her delightedly and Lucy leaned in to kiss him when she heard the alarm blaring. Groaning, she dropped her head to his shoulder. He rubbed the back of her head until she pulled back to look at him.

"We'll have plenty of time after the mission. Go on, I will get dressed and meet you there."

She sighed in resignation before giving him a sweet peck and climbing off the bed. Jiya and Rufus were already at the stairs to the tunnel when she got to the first floor of the farmhouse, and she was glad to not have to go into the tunnel alone. Even after living in the bunker for so long, moving underground between the safe house buildings of their compound made her nervous.

Wyatt, Agent Christopher and Mason were waiting in the barn when they climbed out of the trapdoor between the lifeboat dock and the gym area.

"Where?" Lucy asked.

"1981. Yugoslavia. Do you think it has anything to do with the war there?" Agent Christopher asked Lucy.

"The war didn't start until a decade later…wait." Panic coursed through her as she thought through the implications. "Where in Yugoslavia? Croatia?"

Mason frowned and leaned toward the monitor to check, "Yes, a town called Dubrovnik…you think…?"

Lucy's heart plunged and her eyes stung. "They're going to try to kill Flynn when he's a little boy."

Rufus reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be alright, Lucy."

"Wait, but Emma can't go to 1981. Not unless they've developed the same technology to go into the same timeline that we now have, and we've been very careful not to reveal it. She was born in the late seventies," Mason and Rufus shared a look. A ripple of fear went through the group.

"Maybe it's not Emma. She could have trained someone else," Jiya said softly, glancing at Wyatt, who winced.

"When are we going?" said Flynn as he climbed out of the trapdoor. The others shot nervous looks to each other, but Lucy ran to him and threw her arms around him, burying her face against his chest. Flynn turned to the others with wide eyes at Lucy's panic. "What is it?"

"It's Dubrovnik. 1981," Agent Christopher replied hesitantly.

Flynn paled a bit before taking a deep breath. "Shit."

He gulped but still leaned down to whisper in Lucy's ear as he rubbed her back. "It will be okay, my darling."

Lucy jumped out of his arms and started pulling him toward the lifeboat. "You need to get into the lifeboat, we have to go NOW."

"Whoa, Lucy, we need a plan first," Wyatt said.

"No, she's right. You need to leave quickly, that way if Rittenhouse succeeds, there's a chance this Flynn still comes back alive," Mason interjected.

Agent Christopher jumped into action. "Right, here. She handed out guns to Wyatt and Flynn, and then turned to Lucy and Rufus and held out a gun for each of them as well. Lucy hesitated.

"Lucy, you have to be armed. Remember, Flynn's mother has already seen both Wyatt and Flynn over a decade before. You and Rufus will have to take point with her."

Wyatt and Flynn both groaned at that realization. Lucy grabbed her holster and gun as her stomach rolled, and she made her way into the lifeboat.

* * *

Lucy had changed into a gray blouse she had found on a clothesline, deciding that her skinny jeans and boots would look appropriate for the time period. Flynn had fortunately worn nondescript khakis and a sweater, so they felt he would be well off enough, too. Wyatt and Rufus had headed toward town to shoplift after Flynn had given them directions to the closest store with men's clothes. Lucy and Flynn waited on a hillside. They could see the old town with its red roofs and limestone walls, overlooking the bright blue of the Adriatic. It was gorgeous, and Lucy was sorry that she couldn't appreciate it, not with the mission they were on.

It felt like her lungs were being squashed and she couldn't get enough air. Her arms were wrapped so tightly around herself that when Flynn tugged on one of them, she stumbled, but he caught her up in a hug. She squeezed him back as tightly as she could manage and tried to quell her shaking.

"Breathe with me, Lucy. Come on." Lucy turned her ear to his chest to listen to his heartbeat and breathed slowly with him until she finally felt something resembling calm. When she finally relaxed her grip, Flynn eased them down onto the grass. She sat between his raised knees and leaned against his chest. Feeling the breath pushing in and out of him and the blood pumping through his heart helped remind her that he was here, safe for now. She looked back out over the view.

"Garcia?"

"Hmm?"

"After we're done with Rittenhouse, would you…" she broke off, suddenly feeling shy.

Flynn gently grabbed her cheek and turned her face up so he could see her, his green eyes intense as they studied her.

"Would I what, Lucy?"

Blushing, she looked to the side, but answered anyway. "Would you bring me back here? So I can enjoy it?"

A hard kiss was her answer, and Lucy gripped his shirt tightly as she opened her mouth to kiss him back enthusiastically. After a moment he pulled back slightly, still holding her cheeks.

"Yes," he said, his eyes glowing bright as he gently smiled at her in a way she hadn't seen before.

"I would like that."

"You know," he started, tentatively, "that's the, uh, first time you've ever talked about the future…about us together in the future."

Lucy flushed again. "Is that…okay? Is that what you want?"

Flynn chuckled and his chest shook slightly under her.

"If you didn't realize what that kiss meant, maybe I didn't do it right." He wrapped his arms more tightly around her and she felt some of the weight lift off her shoulders as he pulled her in.

"Hmm, that's true," Lucy teased as she nuzzled his chin. "You should probably try again."

Happiness surged through her as their lips met again and she could feel his love for her in his kiss.

"Hey, lovebirds, are we going to go on the mission or what?" Flynn huffed in frustration at Wyatt's irritated interruption as he and Rufus approached.

"We only really need Rufus, you know," Lucy growled at Wyatt.

Wyatt held up his hands in defense as Flynn chuckled. "She's armed now, you might want to tread carefully."

"She's not going to shoot me…are you, Lucy?"

"Not before the mission, anyway," she raised an eyebrow at him. "Let's go."

Flynn stood up in obedience and gave her a hand up. "This way," he headed away from the ocean to lead them toward the back side of town.

"So, what's the plan?" Rufus asked and they all looked to Flynn.

"There are woods behind the house where we will stop and survey the area. They'll give us good cover. If it doesn't look like Rittenhouse is there, Lucy, you and Rufus should just go up and knock on the door."

"And say what?"

Flynn stopped for a moment and shrugged.

"I think they should just tell her."

The other three turned in unison to look at Wyatt in disbelief.

"Not the time travel stuff, obviously, but yeah. Tell her she and her kids are in danger from…I don't know, the KGB or a terrorist group or something. She was pretty understanding back in Texas."

Lucy turned to Flynn. "What do you think?"

He threw his hands up, showing his uncertainty. "He's right, she was, but…I don't know, this isn't the mother I knew, and maybe I freaked her out enough previously…plus my father, I have no idea how he'll react."

"Let's at least try it. I mean, if it doesn't work and worse comes to worst, we can bring Flynn in. If she believes us, then what? Do we move them?" Rufus asked.

"No. That would be more dangerous, unless Rittenhouse is already there, in which case we'll all just have to go in, timeline consequences be damned." Wyatt looked grim.

"The house sits on a hillside, and it's off by itself," Flynn sighed, thinking hard. "Get them to draw the curtains and keep low, away from the windows. Wyatt and I can patrol the perimeter from behind the tree line, and we can communicate with you using the walkie-talkies we took from the lifeboat. Maybe we can move them after we locate all the Rittenhouse agents."

Wyatt nodded in response and they continued. Lucy could see the tension in Flynn, though he was trying to hide it. She moved closer and squeezed his shoulder before taking his hand in hers as they walked.

It was surprisingly easy to get inside. Lucy and Rufus had shown up at the door and been invited in almost immediately once Maria Flynn heard them speak. Apparently, she had been missing company from her home country. Once inside, they tried their best to explain the situation while they made the rounds of the house, drawing all the curtains.

"My family is in danger from these terrorists? Why?"

Lucy looked to Rufus in panic. "It's really hard to explain, but the CIA has intel that shows they are, and we don't want to take any chances, especially with your boys…" Rufus trailed off as her eyes blew wide in fear.

"Boys! Gabriel, Garcia!" Maria called up the stairs. "Come down here, please!"

Gabriel ambled down the steps first. He was tall, probably about 18 now, but not nearly as tall as adult Garcia. He was paler and had a rounder face than the older version of his brother, but Lucy could still see a trace of family resemblance, since she knew to look for it. He joined them in the living room and looked to his mom in question. Just as she started to introduce him, there was a thunder of steps overhead and a dark head barreled down the stairs and into the room.

Lucy couldn't help but grin at the little boy as he noticed them and then immediately turned and spoke to his mother in Croatian, waving around a cowboy hat in one hand with a red bandana around his neck.

"English, Garcia. This is Lucy and Rufus, and they're American."

A very familiar pair of eyes, big in his smaller face, blinked up at Lucy as he waved up at her and said in adorably accented English, "Hello. I'm sorry."

Gabriel came forward and after the introductions, his mother took him aside to whisper in his ear. Garcia came over to them as Rufus muttered "This is so weird, a baby Flynn" softly. Lucy's heart constricted as he batted his thick eyelashes at her and smiled shyly. He was missing one of his front teeth.

"Hi there, cowboy," she said softly.

He grinned at her and put his hat on his head. "Howdy, ma'am".

"Hey, little G," Gabriel grinned over at his brother. "Want to go play in Mom and Dad's room?"

The six-year-old's eyes grew round with surprise. "I'm not allowed."

"You are today," Maria said, grabbing a stick horse from the umbrella stand and handing it to him. She smiled at him and shook her head as he whooped and ran again, this time from the room, and his mother followed. Lucy's heart ached as she realized her Flynn had missed out on this happier version of his family and she decided to memorize as much as she could to share with him later.

"Okay, it is totally bizarre how adorable baby Flynn is."

Lucy chuckled at him. It was odd to see him so young and carefree, but she could still clearly see her Garcia in there. He was much more like this—genuine and sweet- than the others knew, but he usually hid it except when he was alone with Lucy.

When Maria returned, she carried a tray with coffee, mugs, and cream. Rufus jumped up to help her. The threesome awkwardly sat, stirring and drinking their coffee in uncomfortable silence. It had started to dawn on her that she was meeting her boyfriend's family, even if they didn't know. She weirdly wanted to make a favorable impression.

"So, where is your husband, Mrs. Flynn?" She stumbled over the name as she asked.

"Oh, he's out of town on a business trip. He's been in Florence since Tuesday."

Rufus looked at Lucy. "I need to go tell the others he's not here," and she nodded in response.

"Others?" Maria turned to Lucy in question. "And where is he going?"

"He's going to go communicate with the rest of our team. We have walkie-talkies. Our two soldiers are watching outside for anyone suspicious. They'll keep your family safe."

Maria surveyed Lucy closely and Lucy tried to keep herself from blushing. She was older than she had in the wallet-sized picture in her dossier in 1969. Her dark hair had lightened a little, and she had the beginnings of laugh lines around her eyes. Green eyes that looked much like Flynn's stared back at her. Lucy cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"So, you work for the CIA?"

"Something like that," Lucy replied. "I was a history and anthropology professor, but now I do…this."

"You track terrorist organizations? I'm sorry, but that doesn't really sound like a job for a professor."

"It wouldn't be normally, but this organization is complex. They try to, uh…change the direction of political movements by influencing events or people that they think will turn things in their favor. Historical political movements are my specialty."

"But what would that have to do with me and my family?"

"Well, you work for Lockman in defense, right? They could possibly think that harming you or your family would somehow cause a ripple effect between the US government and another country. Maybe they would blame it on some other country, to impact government relations. Or maybe there's something in your work they would want access to."

Maria looked suspicious of the hypothetical situations Lucy had pulled out of her ass. While she didn't look much like her son, he had obviously inherited her shrewdness. Lucy tried to change the subject.

"What was that like? Being a single mother and working your way through college and into such a male-dominated field?"

Flynn's mother smiled ruefully. "It was difficult. But I was doing it to make a better life for Gabriel and myself after I lost my first husband. I had a supportive boss in Texas who really helped advance me. And I always had this drive, I suppose. To see how things were put together, to remake them to work more efficiently. What about you? I can't imagine that history is exactly a female-friendly field to teach in."

"No, it isn't. I never even got tenure before I—well, before I switched to this job. The teaching was really my mother's idea. I mean, I love history, but…I wish I had been more able to choose." Lucy stopped and looked down at her coffee. Her mother's betrayal, along with her loss, still felt like a raw wound.

"She didn't approve of your new job?"

Lucy chuckled bitterly. "Absolutely not. She kept trying to pull me back into her—into academia, I mean. Then she died, still disappointed in me."

"I'm sorry. About her death and that you couldn't repair your relationship," Maria replied, and Lucy could tell that she genuinely was. She wished her mom had been more like this. "I worry about that a bit. With Garcia, I mean."

"You do?"

"Asher, my husband. He's a wonderful man, but…he just has very specific ideas about how Garcia should be, what he should do. I mean, he's only six. He wants to be a cowboy."

Lucy grinned at this. "I can't imagine that little boy would give up his own plans too easily." She heard a muffled huff of agreement as Rufus came back into the room. Both women looked at him in question.

"All clear, for now. If there's trouble, they'll hit this button," he pointed "twice, and we'll know to all hunker down even more in here."

"Are you sure that they're after us? It sounds like you don't really know why—"

"We're sure," Rufus interjected. "As for the why, we can't exactly share that. But our information is solid."

Maria glanced to Lucy and quirked an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, it's classified."

"Now I know how annoying that is to hear. I've had to say it occasionally myself." Maria gave them a small smile that showed she didn't hold it against them. "Is there anything else you _can_ tell me? I have trouble believing even a terrorist group would want to hurt my children."

Rufus and Lucy shared a long look before he nodded at her in encouragement.

"They won't hesitate to hurt your children. A member of our team used to work for a different government agency in intelligence gathering. He found the mention of this group's name in financial records and asked a question. One question. A few days later, they killed his wife and his little girl. He managed to get out alive, barely."

"Oh, how awful. Losing my husband was bad enough, but losing a child? I can't imagine. I would probably blow up the world trying to get my revenge."

Lucy felt her chest jolt in surprise. This was getting a little too close to the truth for comfort.

"Well, he kind of tried," Rufus said. Lucy frowned at him. She knew it might be silly, but she didn't want him to say anything negative about Flynn to his mother. It just seemed wrong.

"He did go about trying to get revenge, sometimes not with the best methods," Lucy added. "But he did it out of love for his family, and he changed. That's when he joined our team, and he's trying to take them down. The right way."

Maria was watching her intently, her expression unreadable. "What do you think changed?"

Lucy shrugged wordlessly. Rufus scoffed, "Lucy." He was cut off when the walkie-talkie chirped twice and he looked to Lucy in dismay before drawing out his sidearm.

"I'll go get the boys. You two stay here," Lucy said as she ran out of the room.

"Through the kitchen, then to the left!" Maria called after her.

She opened the door quietly and slipped into the room, unable to see anyone.

"Hello?"

"Psst. Back here," a voice that must have been Gabriel's whispered, and she moved to what looked like a closet door.

The boys were on the floor of the closet, each holding toy pistols. "We're hiding from the bad guys," Garcia whispered.

"Okay, your mom wants you to come hide with us in the living room, okay?"

She gestured in front of her for the boys to go first and she pulled out her own gun.

"Wow, you have a gun like me!" Garcia exclaimed. Gabriel shushed him. Lucy decided her best bet was to play along.

"Yeah, I do. It's to cover you as we make a break for the living room. I need you to move quickly and quietly over there but try to stay low to the ground. Alright, Tex?"

Garcia nodded at her solemnly, his cowboy hat flopping down over his eyes. "Yes, ma'am." She fought down the urge to smile at him. Even at six, he could make her laugh or smile at inappropriate times.

She caught Gabriel's eye as he looked at her, worried. "It'll be alright," she whispered to him in an aside. "Just do what I say."

They made their way back to the living room. Lucy strained her ears to hear any sounds of fighting but couldn't make out anything from outside. Back in the living room, Rufus and Maria had flipped the couch and were crouching behind it against the wall. Maria sighed with relief at the sight of her sons. She put her hand on Gabriel's shoulder as he moved past her, between her and Rufus. Maria held out her arms for Garcia, and he allowed her to hug him while Lucy took up her position at the other end of the couch.

"Are we still hiding from the bad guys?" Garcia whispered to his mother.

"Yes," Maria whispered back. "We have to stay very still and quiet and not move from behind the couch until it's safe. Okay?" Lucy looked down to see that Maria's hands were trembling, despite the calm in her voice. Lucy reached down to squeeze her hand and their eyes connected for a moment.

"Rufus?" she whispered. "Anything?"

He shook his head in reply. A moment later, shots rang out. Lucy gulped as she curled in on herself and felt Maria do the same around Garcia. A round of shots was sent back, and then it sounded like a full-fledged firefight. A window shattered in another room and Maria yelped. This part never got easier. Being shot at, having people she loved shot at. At least now, she was learning to fight back herself, so she didn't always have to hide like this. The waiting was torture.

Two more shots rang out, and then there was silence. Garcia squirmed out of his mother's grip.

"No!" Lucy panicked, grabbing him before he could move past her. "We don't know if it's safe yet. Please stay with us."

"I want to help," he pleaded. Lucy breathed heavily, terrified he would dart out and get shot.

"How about you get your horse ready in case we need to make a run for it?" Lucy gestured at his stick horse. He grabbed his horse and she closed her eyes in relief, taking a deep breath. She felt a small hand tug on her left hand.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you safe, Lucy," he said, his eyes full of sincerity. Lucy choked out a sob or a laugh, she wasn't sure which.

"I know you will," she said, and she meant it. He was outside right now, keeping her safe as he always did.

Finally, after what seemed like ten minutes of waiting, three chirps came across the walkie talkie. Lucy fell out of her crouch onto the floor.

Rufus replied, "All clear?"

Wyatt's voice came over the receiver. "All clear. They're all gone."

"Rufus!" Lucy gestured to him, and he tossed her the walkie talkie, which little Garcia caught for her, and she pressed the button. "Are you okay? Are you both okay?"

Wyatt didn't respond for a minute. "Wyatt, are you both okay?"

He hesitated before replying. "He got winged, but he'll be alright."

"Put him on."

"Lucy—"

"Put. Him. On. Now."

Her heart was beating too fast. She loosened her grip as she realized her left hand was squeezing little Garcia's hand too tightly.

"I'm okay, Lucy," Flynn replied and Lucy felt tears spring to her eyes. She covered her eyes with her hand.

"You're sure?"

"Yes. Give us twenty minutes to…clean up. And then you can come see for yourself."

"Okay. You'd better really be okay."

"You know I wouldn't lie to you. Everything okay in there?"

"We're all okay. Twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes."

Lucy looked up to see Maria watching her intensely. She had a look, almost like she knew. Just like her son, it looked like she could see straight through Lucy, to her heart, and it was nerve-wracking knowing the magnitude of the secrets she needed to keep from this woman.

"Everything's okay now?" Gabriel asked.

"Yeah, they got rid of the bad guys," Maria said pointedly, glancing at Garcia obviously to remind Gabriel to be careful with his words. She gestured for Gabriel and Rufus to flip the couch back over and they obeyed without a word. Rufus and Gabriel then ran around with Garcia as he "galloped" around on his horse. Lucy stared toward the window. She bit her lip, wanting to go out but knowing she couldn't. He was most likely telling the truth about his wound, but still.

Maria sat down on the couch. "Come sit with me, Lucy," she said, and Lucy did.

"This teammate who got hurt, is he the same one you were talking about before, who lost his wife and child?"

Lucy nodded. "Yes, they died about four years ago."

"And you're in love with each other." Lucy blushed and let out a small awkward sigh. Was she still somehow getting an interrogation from her boyfriend's mom?

"I haven't exactly said that to him yet. We've only been…dating… for a couple months, but…yes, we are. How did you know?"

Maria smiled. "The way you defended him before to Rufus. And then, how you talked to each other over the radio." She sipped from her coffee mug that had been sitting on a side table and grimaced a little at the coldness. "Want to come help me make more coffee? We'll worry about the window later." Lucy followed her into the kitchen and smiled as she took in the mustard fridge and stove surrounded by dark cabinets

"Why does Rufus think this man is a bad guy? If he's on your team."

Lucy breathed deep, wracking her mind for what she could say. She had already said too much, but how could she just refuse to answer?

"When we met him, his family had been dead for two years, and he…he had kind of gone off the deep end."

Maria nodded emphatically. "Yeah, I can imagine."

"He was the only one who even believed they existed, and no one would listen. So he did things to try to take them out himself. Pretty bad things. But he isn't bad at heart, he's not. He struggled with everything he was doing, and when he found his way onto our team…he's done so much to make it up to us. To me."

"It was hard, when I met Asher, to let myself fall in love again. And that was after losing my husband. I can't imagine losing one of my boys, too. I know I would lose it." Lucy swallowed against a lump in her throat. She would have, if it hadn't been for Flynn's intervention, and Lucy wondered just how different the woman in front of her was from the one who'd raised him.

"It still hurts him. I don't think it ever really goes away. His biggest regret is that he sent her back to bed when she asked for three more minutes."

"Oh," Maria closed her eyes and shook her head. "Not his fault, but it wouldn't ever go away. I'm glad he has you, though."

They poured two mugs and took them back to the living room. The boys had moved into the dining room and were holed up in a fort under the dining table. Rufus was really getting into it, waving around a fake six-shooter and Lucy thought he was pretending to be the Lone Ranger. It was too bad she didn't have a camera to show this to her Garcia later. For blackmailing Rufus.

"Ten minutes left," Maria said to Lucy with a smirk, when she saw Lucy checking her watch again. Lucy smiled at her sheepishly.

"Sorry, I just want to make sure he's okay." Maria waved off the apology with her hand.

"Does stuff like this happen very often?"

"Oh, gosh, way more often than it should," Lucy replied, groaning a little.

"Something sort of similar happened to me once," Lucy heard a note of something in her voice that seemed a bit…off.

"Oh?" She managed to ask.

"Yeah, it was the day of the Apollo 11 moon landing, actually." Lucy froze with her lips on the mug. "This nice man I had met at the office came by and talked to me and Gabriel. An FBI agent came by later, saying that the man had been a commie spy. But he actually saved Gabriel's life by giving him a shot of epinephrine after he was stung by a bee." Lucy was staring at Rufus, trying to catch his eye for a save, but he wasn't turning. He was too into his role-playing.

Fortunately, Garcia decided to run over to Lucy at that moment, and she wanted to hug him for his perfect timing. "This is my horse. His name is Dynamite."

"He seems like a very fine horse. You must take good care of him."

"I do. Will you come play, please, Lucy?"

Lucy looked at his big green eyes that were pleading with her and she wanted to keep him. She realized that was insane—but also kind of not, since she was keeping him in a way. This whole mission was making her head hurt.

"I'm sorry but we have to leave in just a few minutes." His face fell and she noticed Rufus stifling laughter out of the corner of her eye. "But thank you for keeping Rufus out of trouble for a bit. And thank you for holding my hand earlier when I was scared. You help me to be brave."

He looked up at her with an adoring look and blinked his long lashes at her. "You're welcome." Then he turned to run around the room again and Lucy looked to Maria.

"How do you ever say no to him?"

"You get used to it," she shrugged. "It is hard sometimes, though. It helps that he has my eyes, it makes them a little easier to say no to. Otherwise, he looks just like his dad."

"Oh yeah?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah. There's a family picture over here." Maria led her over to the wall next to the picture window. Lucy froze with shock when she saw the man in the picture. The eyes were different, and the clothes, obviously, and his nose and jaw were slightly rounder. He was probably shorter, too, based on Maria's height. But it was very clear to Lucy that this man was Garcia's dad. At that moment, she realized Maria had to have known, too. She lifted wide eyes to meet Maria's knowing ones.

"When I met Asher, it was uncanny to me how much he looked like the man who had saved Gabriel. But he doesn't have brothers or anyone close like that, so I assumed it was just a coincidence."

Lucy knew she should probably cut her off, but it was clearly too late at this point.

"Then, about two or three years ago, I went to a conference in Paris. It was for women in science and engineering, and I ran into Katherine Johnson. We spent the whole conference together. It was so good to talk to someone from home. She ended up telling me a very interesting story about what happened to her the same day."

Her mind racing as she stood stock still, Lucy tried to remember exactly what all Anthony and Rufus said that day. It had happened so fast, but she was fairly sure the name Rittenhouse had even been spoken…as well as time machine. As Lucy was just standing there gaping, Maria patted her arm gently.

"It's okay. I put two and two together that day, at least that piece of it, that he was my son. I'm sure there are a hundred more bits to the story. I just wasn't sure at first that there was any connection between them and you." She turned away to look at the clock. "Rufus, it's time to go. Boys, say goodbye to Lucy and Rufus."

Lucy grabbed Maria's arm as the boys and Rufus were chatting and whispered urgently. "Listen, the name that was mentioned that day, I don't know if Katherine overheard, but if she did, don't ever, ever speak of it. That's the group we were hiding from today. The ones who—" she looked at little Garcia and her heart hurt for all the turmoil he would go through in the next forty years or so.

"I won't," Maria assured her, gripping Lucy's hand. "I promise. Just tell him I love him and that…that I know he's a good man. And thank you for taking care of him." The two women shared an intense moment, looking into each other's eyes and seeing their shared love of the same man. Maria pulled her into a hug, and Lucy hugged her back tightly as she wished her Flynn could hug his mother himself.

"Goodbye, Lucy," she shook Gabriel's outstretched hand and smiled at him.

Two little arms wrapped around her waist and she ran her hands through his messy hair for the second time that day. "Goodbye, Garcia," she kissed the top of his head and he ran up the stairs with Gabriel chasing him. With a last glance back at Maria, who waved and gave her an encouraging nod, she stepped out into the twilight and Rufus closed the door behind them.

Lucy panted as she trudged up the hill behind the house. Rufus had fallen behind, and she whipped her head left and right as soon as she hit the tree line.

"Over here," she heard Wyatt call at her two o'clock, and she sped up the hill. Lucy finally spotted them, standing between the trees. Her eyes moved over Flynn, latching onto the bandage wrapped around his left bicep. There was a spot of blood visible, but not a ton, and she looked back to his face to see that his color seemed okay.

"I'm fine," he reassured her as she finally made it to him. "I mean, hey, at least this time, we're only in the 1980s, no freaky ancient germs to infect me."

Lucy sighed. "And at least it's your left arm this time." He held up his right arm and she gladly moved under it to hug him. It felt much better to feel him, safe against her.

Rufus finally came up to them, red and puffing like crazy. "Damn, Rufus, we need to up your cardio. You took twice as long as Lucy, and she's only panting a little. You look like you ran a 5K," Wyatt smirked at him.

"Hey, she got a head start on the whole…workout…thing. I've only been back for four months," Rufus collapsed on the ground.

"Are you okay, Wyatt?" Lucy pulled back a bit to ask, keeping her arm around Flynn's waist.

"Yeah, I'm fine. There were three of them."

"Who?"

Wyatt winced and shook his head. "Not Emma or Jessica. Whoever flew stayed in the ship. So it probably was Jessica."

Lucy silently agreed with that. If Emma had found a way to travel into her own timeline, she would have wanted to participate in this. It was her special brand of psycho.

"Did they run off? Or…?"

"We had to kill them, Lucy. They would have spread the word about our new capabilities and that's the one leg we have up on them," Flynn said placatingly.

"No, that would be…bad, but are you sure the mothership is gone?"

"We saw it leave, Lucy, it was only at the bottom of the other side of this hill," Wyatt cut in and Lucy tried to let herself relax. "Okay, Rufus, we've got to go, man."

Rufus groaned as he stood up and they started walking back to the lifeboat.

"So…how was it?" Flynn asked, and she could feel both his curiosity and hesitation, not knowing what to feel. Lucy could relate.

"Super weird. And exhausting." Rufus chimed in from the front of the group.

Lucy laughed. "Rufus played cowboys with you and Gabriel after the threat was gone. And he's freaked out because I guess he didn't realize you were actually a child at some point."

"I'm freaked out because I didn't realize you would be a normal, non-bad seed kind of kid."

"Don't hide the truth, Rufus. You called him adorable." Lucy and Wyatt both laughed at that as Flynn and Rufus looked embarrassed.

"No way," said Wyatt. "Not possible."

"Nope, it's true," said Rufus. "Just makes it weirder. You know, little Flynn looked at Lucy the exact same way you do, though. That goofy look of adoration."

Lucy blushed this time, but Flynn didn't seem bothered at all. "I've always had good taste," he said, winking down at her. "How was she? Was she freaked out? How was Gabriel?"

"He's practically grown up, seemed like a good big brother. He called you 'little G'," she smiled at him sadly. "Maria seemed great. Happy. I liked her a lot," Lucy answered. She was trying to figure out how to ease into the whole 'by the way, we're busted' part of the conversation.

"She had a lot of questions about how we knew she was in danger, why her, that sort of thing. But she talked to Lucy way more than me," Rufus added.

"Was she freaked out? Suspicious?"

"Well, yeah, but…" Lucy heaved a huge sigh and stopped walking, as did Garcia. She looked at him. "Guys, she knew."

Wyatt and Rufus abruptly froze and spun around. "What? What do you mean, she knew?" Wyatt asked.

"She _knew._ " The others stared at her for a moment before Rufus finally shook himself.

"Why didn't I hear anything?"

"She started inching toward it, talking about the day of the moon walk, but she didn't flat out tell me until right before we left. Look, I think it's okay. I don't think she's going to do anything."

Flynn pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's my fault, I said all that stuff after I injected Gabriel."

Wyatt scoffed his agreement and Lucy shot him a dirty look.

"It wasn't just that. You look a lot like your dad, too, which, I mean, you had to already know. But she tried to chalk that up to coincidence until she ran into Katherine Johnson at a conference."

"Oh, no…all that shit Anthony said to me…Katherine heard it?" Rufus groaned.

Lucy nodded.

"What did Anthony say?" Wyatt questioned.

"I don't remember everything, you know, what with the imminent threat of death and all, but he mentioned both Rittenhouse and the time machine."

Flynn muttered under his breath angrily. "Uh, you already killed him, Flynn, you can't do it again," Rufus sniped.

"Okay!" Lucy snapped. "We can't help all that. Okay, so we're not going to kick ourselves about it, or worry about Anthony, because we can't change it. I warned her not to ever speak that name, and she knows how serious it is."

"How could she possibly know how serious it is?" Flynn worried, and Lucy moved his injured arm down to hold it still. He'd been swinging them both around.

She lowered her voice to answer. "Before she knew we were talking about you, we told her about your family. She didn't understand how you or Gabriel could be in danger."

Flynn ducked, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, that's the final piece of it. I told her about losing them, too, so that's probably how she realized you were with me."

"I mean, that, and she heard you and Lucy talking over the walkie-talkie. She might have recognized your voice. The accent has to be familiar," Rufus contributed.

"I'm sorry," Lucy said, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "I got so worried when Wyatt said you were hurt, I didn't even think, I—"

Flynn cut her off by rubbing her arm. "It's okay. As long as it all worked out, it doesn't really matter if she knows. I mean, Ethan Cahill knew, and that turned out okay. Turned out great for us, actually."

He started them walking again. They were almost to the lifeboat. Lucy threaded her fingers with his and slowed him to fall slightly behind the others. She wanted to be out of earshot.

"She also said to tell you that she loves you and that you are a good man." Flynn stopped abruptly and looked down, clearing his throat.

"She said that?" Lucy put her hand against his chest.

"Yes, and she's right. That's why...that's why I love you." Flynn snapped his head up to look at her and his eyes went impossibly soft.

"I love you, too," he leaned in and gave her such a gentle, loving kiss that it brought tears to her eyes.

"I don't deserve your love, you know. Or my mother's."

"Too bad, you get it anyway," Lucy smiled. She had learned the best way to handle his deflections was to steamroll them. He shook his head at her.

"But you had to tell me now, with the peanut gallery up ahead? You couldn't wait until we were alone?"

"Are you seriously complaining about that?" Lucy stared at him in astonishment. He kissed her nose.

"No. I'm asking you to tell me again when I can give a proper response." Flynn's eyes glittered at her and she smirked.

"Let's go home so you can."

The others had stopped, the lifeboat was just ahead. Flynn squeezed her hand and boosted her up after the others climbed in, then he followed. They jumped.

* * *

As the hatch opened, Wyatt and Rufus got out first. Lucy undid her buckles and looked at Flynn, who was sitting like a statue in his seat.

"What is it?"

He sighed. "I'm just a little afraid that something might have changed while we were there."

"Only one way to find out. I'm going to go take a shower. You can take a minute if you want, but please come find me soon?"

He smiled and nodded at her as he started to unbuckle, and Lucy made her way down the stairs before she froze a couple steps down. Something was…off. She moved her eyes around the room, noting all the occupants: Agent Christopher, Jiya hugging Rufus, Wyatt's back as he moved toward the tunnel. As she catalogued all the differences, Mason walked into the room from the gym with a companion. They stepped into the light as Lucy stepped off the staircase and her breath caught. It was a little girl, probably about nine or ten, and she looked at Lucy. With her green eyes.

Lucy gasped. "Iris?"

* * *

 _Apparently, I have appointed myself the official champion of Iris Flynn. I really enjoy the "future baby" stories, but there's also a part of me that says "but there's a canon child to save", so I'm just going to write it._


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I don't own Timeless._

* * *

"Iris?" Lucy gasped.

Behind her, Flynn fell down the steps.

Lucy whipped around and was able to grab his arm and was able to slightly slow his descent so that he didn't hit the ground at full speed. But he must have either hit his head on the way down or passed out, because he was unconscious.

"Dad?!" Iris darted toward Flynn, but Lucy grabbed her by instinct. "Hey, hey, he's going to be okay. Jiya and Connor are going to help him…as soon as they go talk to Agent Christopher really quickly."

"Yes, darling, he'll be just fine," Connor moved to lay Flynn flat on the floor of the barn. Hopefully he would wake up, because it wouldn't be easy if they had to move him.

"Lucy?" Iris stared up at Lucy as her eyes welled. She gladly shifted closer as Lucy put her arms around her in a hug, as if she had done so many times before. Lucy's heart was pounding and her hands trembling. Tears filled her own eyes as she realized she was holding a real, live miracle. This was exactly what Flynn had wanted for years, and Lucy only realized now just how badly she had wanted it for him.

The problem was that there was a very real, scared, _living_ girl who was clinging to Lucy. One that she really didn't want to freak out by letting her know she was supposed to be dead. She lifted her eyes to Wyatt's and Rufus's. They looked as stunned as she felt. Wordlessly, she tried to communicate that they should go talk to the others out of Iris's earshot, but they clearly didn't get it. Silent conversations were much easier with Flynn.

"Wyatt, Rufus, why don't you go talk to Agent Christopher and…debrief…while Jiya, you and Connor go get some medical supplies?"

"Wha-?" Jiya looked confused as she gestured to the cabinet next to the docking bay where they kept first aid supplies. Rufus cut her off by hissing her name and widening his eyes with a jerk of his head. They all made off for the tunnel, Wyatt lagging behind while watching Lucy.

"You sure you're okay, Lucy?"

"Yeah, just. I'll wait here with Iris, you go—yeah." She looked up at him and tried to nod confidently, but she must have still looked wigged out. Wyatt went but still watched her, clearly very concerned. Lucy was dying to know what had changed, but her bigger concerns were right here. And as much as she wanted to be part of that conversation, she also felt like it was a little unfair to let everyone know what was up before Flynn. Not that they had much of a choice at the moment.

Lucy sat down next to Flynn's head and winced at the bump by his hairline. It was already tinged with purple. Hopefully he wouldn't have a concussion. Iris sat on his other side and held his hand. She turned to Iris and studied her, comparing her to the younger version that Lucy had only seen in photographs.

She was gangly, all legs and arms; tall, not that that was unexpected. Her hair was a little darker, more like molasses, and her face had lost much of the baby softness. There was a thin scar across her nose.

"Is he going to wake up?"

"Yeah, honey, he will," Lucy hoped, looking down at him, that it would be soon. After a moment, he groaned and she leaned down as his eyelids flickered.

"Lucy? Am I…did I hit my head? I thought I saw…"

"Dad?" His eyes flew open and locked on Lucy's in panic. Clearly, he thought he was hallucinating.

Lucy leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Iris is really here. She's alive and _real_ , Garcia. I have no idea how, but she is."

She pulled back to see his eyes, and he was barely keeping it together. Lucy wracked her brain for a way to help him. First things first, she decided.

"You did hit your head falling down the steps. How many fingers?" She held up three. He rolled his eyes at her but then squeezed them shut at the pain.

"Three."

"Okay, can you sit up?" He nodded and she helped him to a sitting position. Blinking slowly and taking a breath, he worked up the courage to look at his daughter. A look of such awe came over him as he stared at her, his eyes running over her and cataloguing the same changes Lucy had. Upon seeing that he was awake and mostly okay, Iris threw her arms around him. He nearly fell back but righted himself and hugged her back fiercely. His hand found the back of Iris's head and he kissed the top of it, breathing her in with his eyes tightly closed. Opening his eyes after a long moment, he looked to Lucy. Her heart broke at his eyes. They were full of unshed tears and pleading with her, so afraid to hope, to trust that this was true. She tried to reassure him with her eyes, even though she had no idea what had happened, whether it was a Rittenhouse change or not.

"Dad? Are you going to be alright?"

With an effort, Flynn pulled himself together to speak. "Yes, baby," he managed to croak. He cleared his throat. "You're here. I'll be okay."

Hugging Iris again, he put a hand over his eyes, trying his hardest not to scare his daughter, wiping away any tears that leaked out before Iris could see him. Lucy wiped her own tears and looked up to see that the others had joined them. Jiya, Connor, and Agent Christopher were all teary-eyed while watching Flynn and Iris. Wyatt and Rufus were also visibly affected, but too shocked to cry.

Iris finally pulled away and scowled at the others expectantly. "Aren't you guys going to help him?"

"Yes," Connor jumped. "Yes, of course." The tech mogul glanced at Denise, bewildered as to how to proceed in the girl's presence.

Agent Christopher wavered for a moment before nodding to herself. "Iris, can you go get your report on the Roman Empire to show your dad, and meet us back here?"

"Oh, yeah. It's in the classroom." Iris took off toward the room where they had stored extra wires, metal, and random computer parts in the previous timeline. Flynn gasped out a protest as she left.

"She'll be right back, Flynn," Denise soothed. "But we do have to figure this out, and I don't want to scare her."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can't be away from her long enough to do an exhaustive debrief tonight. Can you just tell me…was it Rittenhouse?"

Lucy stared up at their boss and held her breath, watching as she slowly shook her head at him. "We don't think it was. We have to make sure, but I think it's more likely something our team did. I need more information about your timeline to know."

Flynn nodded. "I…Lucy? Could you?"

His eyes were on her, but she couldn't meet his gaze. Suddenly, this was all too familiar, and the effort of holding it together was starting to get to her, making her stomach roll. Still, she bobbed her head. "I can go with Denise and see if we can piece together what happened."

A rough, large hand grabbed her own and her eyes darted to his before she could stop them. At his look of uncertainty, she pasted on a smile. "We'll figure it out. It will be alright," Lucy affirmed, putting as much steel into her voice as she could manage. But he knew her too well, and she watched his eyes soften with understanding as he squeezed her hand before letting her make her escape to follow Denise to the tunnel.

"Connor, let Michelle know where I am?" She tossed over her shoulder before striding from the room.

"Michelle?"

"Yes, she and the kids are waiting for me before they eat."

"No, I mean, they're here?" Tucked away in a valley in Oregon as they were here, their Denise had been separated from her family for months.

"Oh," the agent stopped in surprise. "They weren't here?"

Lucy shook her head.

"Maybe Iris being here pushed me over the edge into bringing them in? Michelle and I made that decision when we moved here from the bunker. She homeschools them—although we all take turns in certain subjects. With all the geniuses here, they're getting a world-class education, at least."

Lucy stumbled through the tunnel in a blur, even as she noted that this one had updated to motion-sensored lighting. She thought wildly of the supermarket freezer section before reeling her mind back in as Denise took the left fork, heading toward the main farmhouse. When they came out next to the pantry, Lucy blinked. The feel of the house was slightly off, but she couldn't identify any visible changes, so she shrugged it off and made her way to the office.

Denise closed the door behind her and gestured Lucy to the extra chair they had managed to squeeze in the small room. Lucy screwed up her courage and blurted out the question she'd been choking on. "Lorena—his wife—is she…?"

"Lorena died the night that Rittenhouse attacked. In our timeline, Flynn managed to get Iris out."

Lucy couldn't hold back the sigh of relief, but then a wave of nausea overcame her and she clapped her hand over her mouth, barely able to hold back vomit. She closed her eyes to try to stop her head from spinning and stomach from heaving. Wishing for Lorena to be dead so she didn't have to give Flynn up…it was disgusting. She felt a hand on her shoulder and Denise spoke softly.

"It's okay to be relieved, Lucy."

"How can you say that? I'm a monster! How can I…?" She buried her face in her hands.

"Especially after what you went through with Wyatt and Jessica, it's completely understandable for you to feel that way."

"That happened here too, then," Lucy groaned slightly as her boss nodded in apology. "Great."

Agent Christopher pulled her desk chair out to sit next to Lucy, looking away to give her a chance to compose herself, and Lucy tried to tuck the self-loathing in a box as neatly as possible. It wasn't like it was going anywhere anytime soon.

"Why don't you tell me as much as you know about what happened the night Flynn and his family were attacked? We can go forward from there, although Wyatt and Rufus gave me an overview of his history with your team."

Lucy recounted the events as Flynn had told them to her, back when they still lived in the bunker. The agent took it all in, silently, until Lucy got to the point when Flynn had fled the house. She pursed her lips.

"Well, that's the change. I don't know what could have done it, though."

"So it was definitely us?" The other woman nodded and Lucy slumped in relief. "What was it?"

"Our Flynn stayed in Iris's room that night. When they broke in, they got Lorena first, probably assuming he was in the master bedroom. He hid Iris under her bed and fought them off before getting her out. She has a scar on her nose—it got busted when he knocked her to the floor and under the bed—other than that, she's fine."

"What happened after? How did he even end up on the team with Iris alive?"

"Rittenhouse framed him for Lorena's murder and kidnapping Iris. He took her to Brazil and hid with her there. They stayed there until after Rittenhouse hijacked the Mothership. I recruited Wyatt and you, and you two and Rufus went after them. Flynn started popping up in the present, proving himself to be a nuisance," she rolled her eyes and Lucy raised her eyebrows in question.

"He was still a fugitive, but he kept showing up, throwing out tidbits of information about Rittenhouse here and there. On my voicemail, on Rufus's…he once left a dead Rittenhouse operative in Wyatt's apartment along with a gift-wrapped USB stick that had the name of Jessica's murderer. Or at least who he originally thought killed her."

Lucy's lips twitched at that. Flynn's flair for dramatics was an immutable quality. Probably his dislike of Wyatt as well.

"Twice he deposited groups of bound and gagged operatives onto the DHS doorstep. But his main focus was always you. At first he would corner you out of nowhere, break into your office, in the backseat of your car, when you'd leave a restaurant…he'd show up and pass along just the piece of intel we needed to stop Rittenhouse's next mission from succeeding. He never gave you everything, but it was always enough for you to figure it out. I didn't know future you had gone back to meet him and give him the journal." Denise looked at Lucy sternly and she cringed.

"I guess that was the same here, then. Actually, you, the other-you, I mean, still didn't know about that, I don't think…"

"Why not?"

Lucy chuckled humorlessly. "It was different in our timeline. Flynn stole the Mothership, we thought he was our enemy. I'm the one who practically forced you to get him out of jail—after you had arrested him months before," she added, allowing a bit of the bitterness to come through, "and convinced you to put him on the team. As for the journal, I didn't want to believe that I had done that, set him on that path, actively worked against what I thought was the right thing. Even after I knew it was true, I just…I guess I felt responsible for everything he did. _Feel_ responsible. And he probably didn't tell you because he was protecting me. Didn't want me to be accused as an accomplice."

A lump rose in Lucy's throat as she realized the likely truth of that. She hadn't bothered to wonder before if that had come up during his interrogation, but it couldn't have since Original Agent Christopher had never mentioned it. Even when he was pissed off at her, he wouldn't have gone that far.

Denise cleared her throat. "After you were taken by your mother, I came home a few days later to find Iris and him sitting in my living room, chatting with Michelle and the kids. He showed me the journal then, although he didn't explain how he had gotten it. Basically, he demanded to be made a part of the team in exchange for his info and to help get you back. Iris and he moved into the bunker, his charges were quietly dropped, and then of course, we got you back after the World War I trip. We got the fourth seat added after…Jessica came back from the dead and you went to Salem, and he's been jumping with the team ever since."

"Jessica's still Rittenhouse here?"

Denise bobbed her head.

Lucy's head swam with all the information, and her cheeks heated, both from the knowledge that even in this timeline, she took the Wyatt—er-detour, and even still, Flynn came for her, despite having Iris to protect, which…

"What did he do with Iris while he was running around chasing Rittenhouse, chasing us?"

"He had a network of loyal friends, some former army buddies from various places, some from the intelligence community. They helped him stay off the grid and keep her protected."

"So what happened? Why did it change?"

The two women sat in silence, pondering the possibilities.

"Did Garcia ever talk to you about that night?" Lucy asked Denise. "Anything about why he was with Iris, specifically?"

Denise stared off to the side for a moment. "Yes...he said that she came out after going to bed. She had a cough, asked for three more minutes, and he ended up lying down with her and falling asleep."

It was like being plunged into ice water, the shock rolled over her and for a moment she couldn't breathe. She broke it with a gasp. "That—that's it. I…oh my God, I did it. Or his mother and I did. But I still don't know what she could have said for him to fix it."

"What do you mean?"

"I…I told her Iris came out and asked for three minutes. He sent her back to bed. It was his biggest regret that he didn't get that three minutes with her. I told his mother that."

"Oh!" Christopher breathed out. "We talked about that. After we moved here—I teased him for being a soft touch about Iris, when she didn't want to go to bed or wanted him there—because it's really not like him in most other situations."

Lucy pursed her lips at that, wondering what he _was_ like with Iris. Or with her, considering how different their history had been.

"His mother died when he was fairly young, cancer, did you know?" Lucy nodded. "Before she died, when she was talking to him, she told him that she regretted not taking all the extra time with him and Gabriel she could have—like doing work at home when they wanted to play, sending them back to bed alone. She told him not to make the same mistake with his own kids once he had them. He said he knew it wasn't necessarily always the right advice, and it drove Lorena insane, but he couldn't help but follow it."

"Wow," Lucy marveled. Such a subtle thing, seemingly unimportant, with such enormous impact. The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes, taking in the magnitude of what had happened before continuing to debrief. They didn't get much ground covered after that, both too lost in the thought of the seismic shift their history had undergone.

By the time Lucy and Agent Christopher had finished their back and forth it was after ten. Lucy asked for directions to where Flynn ought to be and learned, to her great surprise, that she should find him in one of the smaller farmhouses, the one to the back and left of their main house. The one where he and Iris lived. With Lucy.

She hoped that someone else had already told him about Lorena so it wouldn't be too much, coming from her. Especially if he already knew he was living with Lucy. Slowly picking her way up the stairs and into the unfamiliar house, her heart rate picked up. This situation had her tied up in knots with ten contradicting emotions all warring for first place. Elation at Iris being alive, sadness about Lorena's death, relief that mingled with guilt and fear. Fear because she didn't know what all this was going to mean, what else might change, how Garcia would react. How they would do things going forward. She bit her lip as she made her way down the hall, following the lamp light.

At the sight of him, sitting rigidly in an armchair in a shabby but cozy living room ( _their_ living room, she reminded herself), she stopped. There were circles under his eyes, underscoring the difficulty of the day he'd had, and his eyes themselves were reflecting the emotional tempest within. She had planned to calmly hold back, explain exactly what they'd figured out and let him make the decision with how to proceed. But at seeing the fear and hope warring in his eyes, she couldn't help but make a beeline toward him and allow him to pull her onto his lap and hold her close.

With his hands gripping her desperately, Flynn kissed her shoulder and she ran her hands up to his hair. He trembled and she let him simply hold her until he was ready to talk, savoring the feel of him surrounding her. Finally, he pulled back to look up at her, terrified, and she didn't make him ask before answering the most important question.

"It was us, Garcia. It wasn't Rittenhouse."

Flynn swallowed, nostrils flaring as he clearly tried to tamp down his hope. "How can you be sure?"

"That night happened the same, except that when Iris got out of bed, you went with her. You were there when they came, and…"

He sighed and grabbed her hand. "It's okay, Lucy," he whispered. "I already know Lorena's dead. I could tell right away, and then Iris referred to it in passing. We can come back to that, I need to know the rest."

Lucy flicked her eyes down but found his own staring down at their hands, and she decided to continue. "You hid Iris under the bed and fought them off. You got her out. You saved her."

"Why though? Why would that have changed?" He looked back up at her and she bit her lip.

"It was me. Something I said to your mother." Lucy could feel his eyes on her and she stared at the floor. "I…I told her about how your biggest regret was not giving her those three minutes she asked for. I asked Denise and she said that you always would go with her when she asked. Your mom told you that was one of her biggest regrets before she died…" She trailed off and finally looked down at him, ashamed as he stared back at her amazed.

"I'm so sorry, Garcia. I should have tried to change it, told your mother more, told her exactly what happened. I could have…."

"If you had told her, it might have turned out even worse. There's no way I would have believed in time travel without going through that attack. If my mother had told me that, I probably would have had her committed. You know there are no guarantees when attempting to change the past, especially on the fly like you were."

"I still should have tried. This happened by accident, she didn't know when or why exactly, and we didn't even—"

"Lucy, are you kidding me? Are you honestly serious right now?"

"I—I feel so terrible for..." she squeezed her eyes shut and cut herself off, not even sure how she had planned to finish. For being alive while Lorena wasn't? For being with him? For not feeling worse about either of those things?

Flynn shifted her to straddle his lap so he could look directly in her face and he heaved a sigh when she wouldn't open her eyes. He gently pushed his forehead against hers. "You love me so much—me, the guy who made your sister disappear, killed a bunch of people, who you once thought was a monster—that it was obvious to my mother, who met you for a couple of hours when I was only a boy. So much so that you wanted her to understand and forgive my unforgivable future actions, and in doing so, you and she actually brought my daughter back from the dead. You feel guilty about that?"

"When you say it like that, I know it…it sounds stupid."

"That's because it is stupid, Lucy! You saved our daughter. Lorena would be grateful to you. You saved her child and you saved me. Yes, Iris is living in a weird government commune in the middle of nowhere, I've missed half her life, and she has bullet- and shatterproof glass windows in her room. But she is lying in there right now, breathing in and out, blood pumping through her veins… Because of you, I held her in my arms tonight for the first time in over four years."

They were both crying now, Flynn fully sobbing in relief. Once Lucy had cried herself out, she held him against her chest, letting him soak her shirt as his arms trapped her against him like a vise. Once some minutes had passed and his sobs had gradually grown further and further apart until finally subsiding, she pulled back just enough to stroke the back of his head.

"I'm supposed to be the crazy one in this relationship, you know. Just ask any of the team. You shouldn't be auditioning for my role," he rasped against her neck.

She decided to ignore that. "So, what now? What do we do?"

"We go to bed. I don't remember the last time I've been this exhausted and I'm not concussed but my head does hurt. I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep, but we ought to try."

Lucy hesitated, having meant to ask what they would do in a more all-encompassing sense, but he probably knew that. He sat her back on her feet and she swayed in place, unsure if she should stay or go back to the main house. He turned back to her when she didn't move, and pulled her after him with only the need in his eyes.

* * *

The next morning, Lucy woke in the predawn light to an empty bed. As she rubbed her eyes and tried to decide if she should go after Flynn or not, the door opened and he came in. She searched his face, taking in the circles under his eyes.

"How's Iris?"

Lying down on the bed, he rolled onto his side to look at her, his face tired but peaceful. "She's fine. Still sleeping." He sloppily kissed her on the corner of her mouth before closing his eyes and falling asleep almost instantaneously. Lucy bit her lip as she watched him lie there in the quiet with his mouth gaping, and a wave of love for him washed over her. It was absolutely terrifying.

This was a family. A family that Lucy had become part of by whoops!—accidentally playing God—one she definitely hadn't earned or even chosen. Yet already she was attached and involved, and the fear of losing it, of ruining it, was crawling under Lucy's skin until she had to get out or she was going to scream.

Family wasn't something Lucy excelled at.

Hastily rummaging through their dresser and grabbing the first workout clothes she could find, Lucy changed and crept down the hallway. At what had to be Iris's cracked door, she paused and couldn't stop herself from peeking. She expected to see a smaller version of a sleeping Lorena, but much as she had her mother's features, in sleep she looked just like her father. Lucy's fingers itched to brush her messy mane out of her face, particularly the one strand that had fallen into her wide open mouth, but she stopped herself. It wasn't her place.

Once she made it to the barn, she sighed at finding it empty. Her nervous energy needed an outlet, she needed to run, but one of the first rules of the compound was no heading out without letting another member of the team know first. Grumbling under her breath, she impatiently taped up her hands and started pounding and kicking the standing bag in the workout room.

The time passed in a blur and by the time Lucy finally gave up, letting her shaking arms flop to her sides like jelly, the sun had risen. Her heart hadn't exactly settled, but the need to scratch her skin off had at least subsided. She needed a shower and a cup of coffee, so she ignored the urge to avoid her home.

When she opened the door, the house was quiet and she halted, sure they couldn't have both still been asleep. Making her way to the kitchen, she found Iris and Flynn seated across from each other at the table, eating bowls of cereal in clearly awkward silence. He jumped when he finally noticed her across from him, standing at the kitchen counter, betraying how out of it he was to not even notice her entering the house.

Before they could say anything, Iris spoke up. "Oh, good, Lucy. Dad's being weird, are you sure he doesn't have a concussion?"

"I'm not being weird," he protested automatically. Iris rolled her eyes, but watched closely as Lucy came over, pulled out her phone and used the flashlight app to double check his pupils.

"Your pupils look fine, and they were fine last night, so no concussion. But since you've eaten, you should probably take something for the headache." When he started to insist that he was alright, Lucy narrowed her eyes pointedly, glancing at Iris quickly to see her picking up her bowl to take to the kitchen. She leaned in to whisper. "To her, you aren't yourself. Use the excuse."

Flynn nodded, cowed, and Lucy could see he was at a loss. She didn't know how to help, so instead, she snagged his coffee mug off the table and took a long sip. He grabbed her hand and pulled her back toward him as he quirked an expectant eyebrow at her. He looked more like himself after that, so she let him pull the mug from her grasp, remaining on her feet although he was trying to tug her to him.

"I just wanted a sip, I'm going to go shower."

"Wait," he stood and bent down to her ear. "It's not like you to take off so early to exercise alone."

"I'm fine!" She chirped out. "I thought you could use the sleep," she internally winced at the false brightness in her tone that he was sure to hear, even if he wouldn't call her out on it. "I'm just going to—yeah," she babbled out before heading down the hall.

"You're both super weird today," she heard Iris say to herself as Flynn's eyes followed Lucy out of the room.

Once she was under the hot stream of water, Lucy let herself breathe. It was too much, and she could still feel their pleading eyes on her, looking to her for help, for answers. She didn't know how to do this, how to be a…her mind halted before Lucy forced herself to think the word. Mother. _Mother._ She didn't even know how to be a daughter, according to her own mother, who certainly hadn't been a stellar example herself, as she didn't even want Lucy, not except as a tool, and she actively worked to have her other daughter erased.

The wants, the demands, the expectations of a family—she would let them down, just like before. Like she had let down Amy, Henry, and even Carol, because maybe if she had been stronger when she was younger, maybe she could have swayed Carol away from Rittenhouse, shown her another way. Maybe then she could have turned away in the end, for her to follow Lucy, for her to…love Lucy enough. "You're not your mother," Flynn had said, and she had agreed. Maybe they'd both been wrong.

Her arms shook as she shampooed her hair, weak from the earlier exertion, and it felt like they matched her insides. So weak, so many things she couldn't do. She couldn't save her mother, couldn't save Amy. The could-haves, though, were worse—could have joined Flynn earlier, could have let Flynn kill John Rittenhouse, could have saved that soldier in France, could have saved Lorena—but she didn't.

It always came back to Rittenhouse for her, of course. The blood in her veins, the ruthlessness in her DNA. Had she known in the back of her mind that she could have saved Lorena, saved Iris, even saved Flynn? Could she have spared him all the pain and the knowledge that he could never, ever wash away the soul-stain of his actions in the last four years? No. It hadn't crossed her mind that she could, because she didn't think they could tell Maria the truth. But once she'd revealed that she knew, shouldn't it have at least occurred to her? She hadn't even tried, hadn't even thought of it, and didn't that just prove how selfish she was? Lucy drowned in the maybes.

Finally the water ran cold. She went through the motions of drying off, going to her (their) room and getting dressed, drying her hair and putting on makeup, trying to ground herself with mundane action. Trying to avoid Flynn.

When she came out, she was hoping that at least Iris would still be there (she was really unclear on how the homeschool schedule worked or if there even was one), or they both would be elsewhere, but no such luck. Flynn was at the rickety kitchen table, head in hands, slumped over an unopened laptop. Part of her wanted to go to him, ease the set of his shoulders with a gentle hand, but the other part, the part that whispered she was an imposter, a usurper, kept her frozen in the hallway.

Lucy shifted from foot to foot. To stay or to go? The decision was taken from her when Flynn cleared his throat and lifted his head, the lack of surprise at her presence indicating he'd known all along she was there. She jumped and made her way to the cupboards, searching for a bowl, spoon, and cereal.

"Second shelf from the left," Flynn piped up from behind her with a slight rasp in his voice, and prickly as she was, it rubbed her the wrong way.

"I've got it," she said shortly, and her shoulders slumped at the silence behind her, though she'd caused it. "What are you up to?" She finally located what she needed and poured Cheerios slowly, staring at them as they dropped into the bowl a few at a time.

The hesitation told her as much as the wariness in his tone that she had hurt him. "Agent Christopher asked me to read over my history here and make a list of all the discrepancies." Lucy turned to hide a wince as she grabbed milk from the refrigerator. It couldn't be fun for him to write down a list of all that he'd done over the past few years for Christopher to look over and judge.

"Oh," she lamely answered as she wavered but finally made her way to the table, sitting to his left rather than across the table. His eyes burned into her as he watched her eat and she tried her best to ignore it, but he wouldn't let her.

"Are we going to talk about it?"

Fear tickled the back of her neck. "About what?" Lucy tried for nonchalance.

"Whatever it is that's got you so closed off from me." Irritation was creeping into his tone now, and she welcomed it. If he got mad enough, maybe he would back off, and maybe she could bury these feelings. Maybe she could keep him from finding out and hating her.

"I'm not. I'm just thinking," she shoved the spoon into her mouth.

He scoffed. "You still can't lie for shit, in case you were wondering."

Lucy looked up with a glare at his snide remark, spoiling for a fight, wanting to attack and release some of the venom inside her. But when their eyes met, the wound in them was so clear that the fight drained straight out of her. She knew he was torn up and confused, and for some reason she was on the offensive instead of comforting him. While she knew it was wrapped up in guilt about Lorena, she didn't know why she was pushing him away when he needed her to pull him close. Her instinct to protect herself had been triggered and she didn't know how to turn it off.

Instead, she pushed away her empty bowl and asked "Do you want me to go?"

Flynn sighed. "Lucy, I…" He licked his lip and shook his head, thinking better of whatever he'd been about to say. He turned his head away from her and she could feel the disappointment and clear dismissal in it, even as he said "No. But you clearly want to, so go."

Lucy opened her mouth, but didn't really have anything to say, so she went and put her bowl in the sink. When she turned around, Flynn had the laptop open and was reading. She swallowed and headed to the tunnel, turning around as she reached the hallway. His jaw was set as he determinedly kept his face in his work. She bit her lip and left.

* * *

Lucy was in the main house, in what they'd deemed the library, but was really a living room that they'd lined with utility shelves. The shelves were full of history books that Lucy had collected, strategically picked out to cover all corners and periods of American history. After every mission, she would first double-check the material nearest to the mission date, and particularly focus on the closest one of the pressure points mentioned in dear old great-grandpa's manifesto.

Lucy had been hunkered down into a scratchy orange plaid armchair with a book about the Cold War for at least four hours when Rufus walked in. She nodded at him, hoping he would move upstairs, but he sat on the couch, playing with his phone while shooting her surreptitious glances every few seconds. After about five minutes of staring at the page without reading it, she finally turned to him. "Hey, Rufus, what's up?"

"Well, if you mean what's up with everybody, the kids are all doing their homeschool thing with Michelle and Denise. Jiya is doing Lifeboat updates with Connor, Wyatt is working out, and Flynn is playing Danny Tanner when Iris is present and brooding in Denise's office when she's not. He's tracking the changes between the two timelines and looking like somebody stole his favorite gun. Are you guys okay?"

Lucy shrugged and kept her eyes on the book. "We're great. We saved him from dying early, Iris is alive…why wouldn't we be okay?"

Rufus sighed and cocked his head. "Look, Lucy, I know in the bunker we all kind of got occupied with our own…issues. I let myself believe you when you said you were alright when the whole Wyatt thing blew up because I was caught between the two of you, and worried about Jiya and her visions, and I wanted to believe you. But I'm still your best friend, and I know what I'm seeing here is Peak-Avoidance Lucy, which means that you are pretending to be alright, but you're dying on the inside."

She opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out, so she closed it and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"You don't have to talk to me if you don't want. But you once sat with me after I killed a man and was afraid of who I was becoming, and I'm not going to let you sit here by yourself today."

Lucy pursed her lips and tried to keep the tears from falling as she met Rufus's gaze. She sighed. "It's not about Iris. I'm thrilled that she's alive. It's…it's a miracle, one I still can't wrap my mind around, but it's wonderful."

Rufus nodded at her. "Yeah, it's...I mean, we've made some changes in the past for the better, like the Salem Witch Trials, but this is just…wow." He looked back to Lucy expectantly. She took a moment to gather her courage.

"When Denise told me that Lorena was still dead, at first all I could feel was relief, Rufus. And even though I'm still sad that Iris went through losing her mom and Flynn went through losing his wife, part of me still feels that," she blurted out in a whisper.

Her eyes squeezed shut, she continued. "My family did this. They took her away, and now I'm going to take her place, and be happy about it? Who am _I_ becoming, Rufus?"

A hand gripped hers and she wiped away the tears that had leaked out. "I didn't even try to save her. I didn't even try to save _Iris_. That just happened, because all the things I told Maria gave her the pieces she needed to put it together. I should have tried. I can't help but wonder if, subconsciously, I intentionally didn't."

"Okay, no, Lucy. I was there. You didn't try because you were scared of making Flynn die or disappear. She put it together because you are so gaga in love with him that you couldn't help but defend him and worry about him getting shot, and stare at little Flynn like you wanted to keep him. You didn't mean for her to die. Plus, after the whole Jessica thing…honestly, I was kind of relieved, too. At least we know Iris isn't Rittenhouse."

Thinking back, she had to admit Rufus was right. Her focus had been entirely on both versions of Flynn staying safe and then on Maria not thinking poorly of her son. She hadn't seen a way to save Iris and Lorena from that night, but thankfully, Maria had.

"And Rittenhouse being your family? That's bullshit."

Lucy's eyes flew open and she looked at Rufus in surprise. "Rufus, you know—" He cut her off with a shake of his head.

"Yeah, so your parents and grandparents and great-times whatever grandparents, yeah, they were Rittenhouse. As soon as you knew, you chose us. You've been fighting them ever since. You went back to Chinatown, Lucy, and I'm not going to say it wasn't hard for you, because it had to be, but you chose to save me over saving your mother. None of us give a shit about your genealogy, because we're your family."

Lucy breathed deeply, feeling most of the cloud lift from her shoulders. After a minute, she looked to Rufus, and the understanding in his eyes almost set her tears off again. "Yeah. Thanks, Rufus," she croaked.

"Anytime. Look, I'm not going to act like I know all about your relationship with Flynn, but if you can both get past the mortal enemies phase, I'm pretty sure he'll get over this. But you have to talk to him. Jiya and I…it wasn't all easy after you saved me. You have to talk for it to work."

It was true, they had all seen it. Jiya had gone through three years in the nineteenth century, hardened herself, prepared to live life there alone, and then had Rufus ripped away as soon as she'd gotten him back. Rufus didn't remember dying, but they all still remembered him being dead, and none of them could be the same after that. Jiya had been ecstatic to have him back, but terrified of losing him again, and he'd had to get to know the new version of his girlfriend who had experienced a lot without him.

"Yeah, okay. I know you're right. I'll go back to the house and wait for Flynn and Iris."

She placed the book back in its proper space and turned to Rufus, who smiled at her. "I'll go tell Flynn to come find you, okay?"

"Okay," she said, despite her nerves. "Hey, Rufus?"

He stopped at the door, and she came to meet him, throwing her arms around him, and he hugged her back.

* * *

Lucy paced the living room, biting her thumbnail, trying to not talk herself out of the upcoming conversation. Finally, the door from the tunnel opened and Flynn stepped out, but he had a companion.

"Hey, Lucy!" Iris chirped as she quickly gave Lucy a side hug and headed toward the kitchen. "We're learning about the Ottoman Empire next. Michelle's got online stuff and the textbook, but she wants to know if you have anything she can give Mark."

"Uh, I'm not sure, but I'll take a look. If we don't have anything, I know what to order." She looked to Flynn in question, not fully understanding the request.

"When they can, they all study the same basic subject, but on different levels. So Mark needs supplemental material that Iris and Olivia can't handle yet," Flynn explained quietly.

Iris grabbed a packet of what Lucy thought were Pop-Tarts out of the cupboard and poured a glass of milk, and she tried to move around the two adults to go down the hall. "Where are you going?" Flynn asked her.

"Uh, to read in my room? Just like every other day?" Iris raised her eyebrows at him and Lucy had to bite her lip to hold back a smile at her snarky tone.

"Oh, yeah. Okay."

"I'll be back for dinner…weirdo," she added under her breath, and they watched until she closed her door.

"What have you said to her?" Lucy asked.

"I just tried to talk to her as normally as possible—I mean, she heard the headache thing, so hopefully…I didn't tell her, if that's what you mean."

"No, of course not, but she's noticed that we're different, and that probably isn't going away."

"Yeah, I'm going to have to tell her there were some changes. Not what, but enough that she gets it. I wanted us to talk first. Can we go to our…to the room?"

The caution in his gaze, the uncertainty, it hurt. "Yeah."

As soon as he closed the door, she blurted "I'm sorry. I freaked out."

His lips quirked up as he leaned against the wall. "Yeah, I caught that, and I'm not angry. But Rufus says I need to make you talk."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I _was_ thankful to him, but…"

"Lucy," he prompted with a look as he moved to sit against the headboard.

"I know, but if it upsets you, or it's too much to talk about right now, you have to tell me."

"Okay," he gestured to give her the floor, and she made herself look at him while she continued, to gauge his thoughts.

"It's about Lorena."

His eyes widened and his brow furrowed. "Okay…"

"I…I don't know where to start. I guess that I feel really guilty. For not _trying_ to save them—because I didn't mean to save Iris, either—for being here with you guys while she can't, for…" she shut her eyes, unable to make herself watch him as she admitted it. "For being relieved when I first heard she was dead."

There was a long silence, and then she continued, because she couldn't stand it. "I'm not glad that she's dead, I hate that you and Iris went through that, and I feel responsible…" She just stood there, arms hugging herself.

"Hey. Come here," he finally said, and she perched lightly on the edge of the bed. He looked a little pale, but there was no disgust or anger on his face.

"I'm sorry, I know it's awful, I just…I'm a…"

"Stop. You're not a monster, you're human. I'm not going to lie and say it didn't hurt to hear, but it's—you're only human." He picked up her hand and she squeezed his tightly in return. "If I went on a trip without you and something changed in the past, and I came back to you and Wyatt together, I would actively wish him dead. I'd try to be happy if you were happy, but…" he shook his head.

"I'm sorry I bailed on you, I know you needed me. You are glad, about Iris."

"I am. It's going to take some time for me to trust it, though. We both know how fragile the present can be, and Rittenhouse still wants us dead. But Iris is here and well, and you're here…it's…more than I expected, to be honest. I...all of it's so tangled. I'm sorry if I'm kind of an emotional wreck for a while."

The snort came out before she could stop it. "As opposed to the well-adjusted, laidback, together guy you've been since I've known you?"

Flynn huffed out a laugh and bobbed his head at her in agreement. "Touche."

Lucy tilted her head. "I'm surprised you say it's more than you expected. You always seemed so sure that you'd get them back."

Flynn shrugged. "I wasn't sure. I hoped. Even so, I didn't think I'd get to have Iris with me, get to be her father anymore. I wouldn't have that if Lorena hadn't died, so I know a bit of what you're feeling. That's how I knew she was dead—she'd never have agreed to this, and Iris being here meant she couldn't be alive."

Lucy scooted up to prop herself next to him. "Not even to keep Iris safe?"

"She would have chosen witness protection first—she wouldn't have chosen to stay hidden away or to fight."

"What did Iris say? You said last night that she mentioned Lorena."

Flynn's cheeks turned pink and he looked down at the comforter as he licked his lips. "She asked why I was wearing my wedding ring. This me hasn't for a while."

"Oh," Lucy blew out, suddenly feeling shaky. It was a subject she had avoided with him, though it brought some discomfort when she'd allowed herself to think about it. She then looked to his hand and realized it was gone. Her mouth dropped open.

"I should have done it long ago. It was more of a reminder of both her and Iris and what I was fighting for, not that I still think of myself as married to her."

"I know."

"Do you? Because I didn't think of it that way, Lucy, but I can see now how it might have looked to you. You've never been a replacement to me. I don't think about her when I'm with you."

Lucy hadn't expected the conversation to cut quite that close to the quick, to a fear she'd never even articulated inside her own mind, and the tears she'd thought she had thought she'd run out of were threatening.

"Hey," he hauled her up into his side and she turned her head into his shoulder, gulping to keep herself from crying. Getting a hold of herself, she looked up at him and shook off the urge to cry. She was sick of tears and of talking about her own insecurities. It was time for her to help him.

"How are you doing, really?"

He pulled back to look at her and tilted his head, considering. "I'll be okay. I still remember them both dying, and that's…well, it's heavy, but it isn't new. I've already mourned the loss of Lorena, of our marriage, because I never expected to go back to her afterward, but…the permanence of this, of her death…that may take some time to fully accept."

Lucy's heart jerked with a painful twinge and she brushed her hand across his cheek. "Are you angry with me for that? It's okay if you are."

He rolled his eyes. "No, Lucy. It's not your fault. Think about it, my mother knew…and what she told me was clearly to save Iris, not Lorena. If I were going to be angry at anyone…"

She supposed that was a fair point. "Are you angry at her?"

Flynn shook his head slowly. "I could be, except that I understand. Even saving Iris risked it. Can't you think of why she needed it to be that way?"

Lucy pondered that before it hit her and she looked at him in alarm. "Gabriel!"

He tipped his head in acknowledgement. "I would never have had a chance to save him."

How horrific that choice would have been stole Lucy's breath for a minute. She hadn't even realized that she'd been saddling Maria with that burden. Flynn's expression was dark but understanding.

"Did you save him here?"

"Yeah, I thought you and Agent Christopher would have talked about that."

She shook her head. "We hit the highlights of what changed with you and your relationship to the team."

He grinned at her. "Rittenhouse tried to make it look like the Russians were sabotaging the moon landing, to escalate the Cold War. You and I went rogue and saved him."

She smiled back at him for a minute before getting serious and clearing her throat. "Are you positive you don't want to try to change anything? Try to save them both?"

"I know I always talked about bringing them both back, like it was both or neither. Now, though, having read the details of what happened here, I don't see how I could have gotten both of them out alive. Not without running first and they still would probably have found us if we had. Or telling my past self too much, which would likely backfire. Lorena would kick my ass if I changed something and it hurt Iris. She'd be right to do it."

Lucy couldn't think of what to say to that. It's not like there was a handbook for how to help the man you love accept the death of his wife being permanent after four years of him trying to bring her back.

They sat in silence for a few moments before she tried to lighten the mood. "She could kick your ass?"

"I mean, not physically, not that that would stop her from trying if she were mad enough." He quirked an eyebrow at her. "I like strong, intelligent women who give me a hard time. Is that honestly surprising?"

Lucy smirked at him before biting her lip, thinking of her own type. She tried to avoid his curious gaze. "Lucy, are you…surprised that we ended up together in this timeline, too?"

Squeezing his hand at the insecurity in his tone, she sighed, not wanting to bring up her former relationship drama. They had enough of their own, albeit of a much different kind. "No. It's more surprising to me that the same thing happened here with Wyatt as in our timeline."

"You weren't hoping for a different conclusion to that, were you?" Lucy scoffed and tugged his hand until he looked directly at her.

"No. I wish she wasn't Rittenhouse, but no. I would have hoped that without us being enemies, without you stealing the mothership…that you and I might have figured things out sooner."

Flynn's face softened. "Ah, well. I was depositing dead agents on your doorstep like a cat—"

"Just one on Wyatt's. I think the ones at DHS were alive. None on _my_ doorstep."

"Popping up in your backseat, cornering you in dark alleys—it doesn't exactly scream 'I'm dating material'."

A wicked desire to laugh bubbled up, and Lucy managed to shove it down, but Flynn still saw it in her face. He chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Yeah, I know. Kidnapping, stranding you, grabbing you by the neck…not such desirable qualities either."

"At least you're aware? And we've settled that." Lucy half-cringed, half-shrugged and they lapsed into silence, enjoying each other's presence.

"So, what's the plan?" she spoke up a few minutes later.

"What do you want to do, Lucy?"

"I know I want to be with you. I don't know how you picture that now."

"I was going to ask you to move in with me, you know? When we got back."

"You were?"

He nodded. "I've wanted to since…forever, since the bunker, but I was waiting, hoping you might fall in love with me first." He ducked his head and ran his fingers along her shoulder. "I wasn't really sure it would ever happen, but…"

Lucy smiled, and it was a welcome change. "I was half in love with you the first time we kissed. It didn't take much after that."

Burying his nose in her neck and tangling his fingers in her hair, he kissed her collarbone, breathing her in deeply before pulling back to take her in with a gentle look in his eyes.

"Since this version of us is already living in this little house here together, what do you think?"

"Do you feel okay with that? With both me and Iris being here, living together? I don't want to get in the middle of you finding your way with her."

"I'm terrified of figuring all this out. This other me, he made all the right choices where I made all the wrong ones. Living up to that guy, I'm not sure I can do that. The only two things I'm sure of are that I want to try and I want you with me while I do it. If you aren't comfortable with that, I get it. I won't be upset with you if you're not ready for that. I know that when we started this, you weren't really expecting to be a…um…this."

Suspicion rose in Lucy's mind as to how he had planned to finish that sentence, and she had to tamp down a bit of anxiety at that and focus on what he had truly asked.

"I'll stay here with you," she answered, "as long as you help me, because I have no idea what I'm doing."

He was kissing her before she even saw him move. "Thank you," he whispered in her ear. "I'll help you, I promise, but mainly I want to be with you. I want you here."

Lucy closed her eyes and kissed him back.

* * *

That evening, there was a team dinner in the main house. As Lucy sat with a book-as dictated, far away from the kitchen-in the library, Iris came to join her on the couch.

"Hey, Lucy," Iris said, a little hesitant.

"Hi, honey," Lucy replied, smiling back.

"Are you okay?" The girl asked, looking concerned, and Lucy brushed a strand of hair back from her face.

"I'm okay. We're going to be just fine." Iris smiled back and leaned into Lucy's side.


End file.
